March 3, 2025 • 9 mins
Is hard water wrecking your appliances—or worse, sneaking unwanted sodium into your tap? In this episode of The Toxic Truth About Water, Drs. Glenn and Ina clear up the confusion around water softeners and water conditioners. Learn how each system works, why softening isn’t the same as filtering, and discover better alternatives for both protecting your home and preserving essential minerals.
What You’ll Learn
- The Basics of Hard Water: Why minerals like calcium and magnesium can cause scale, but also benefit health.
- Softeners 101: How ion exchange adds sodium or potassium to remove hardness—and why that might harm more than help.
- Conditioners Explained: How these systems alter the structure of minerals to prevent build-up without adding salt.
- Key Distinction: Neither softening nor conditioning actually filters out contaminants—so you still need to protect your water.
Key Takeaways
- Softeners ≠ Filters: Reducing scale doesn’t mean removing toxins—additional filtration is needed for genuine water purity.
- Salt-Free Solutions Exist: Conditioners can preserve healthy minerals while preventing damage to pipes and appliances.
- Consider Health & Environment: Added sodium from softeners can pose health risks, and salt discharge can harm the ecosystem.
- Tailor Your Approach: Different regions have varying hardness levels—choose a system (or combination) that best suits your local water and personal needs.
Resources & Links
- Check Water Quality Reports: Environmental Working Group (EWG)
- Connect with Drs. Glenn & Ina:
- Call Us Today: (732) 300-1925
- Instagram: @drsglennandina
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Love what you’re learning about water quality? Follow The Toxic Truth About Water on your favorite podcast platform. Your reviews help us educate more people on the hidden hazards in everyday water—and how to tackle them!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Glenn (00:01):
Welcome to the Toxic Truth About Water.
We're Drs.
Glenn and Ina, and in thispodcast, we're uncovering the
hidden dangers lurking in yourwater and how those contaminants
impact your health.
Ina (00:12):
After decades of exploring natural health, we've learned
the importance of clean, safewater.
And we're here to share thatknowledge with each of you, from
the effects of toxins andcontaminants to the solutions
that you need.
We've got the inside scoop.
So as we say, let's dive in.
Let's get started.
And what are we talking abouttoday, my baby?
Glenn (00:34):
Today, water softeners and water conditioners.
Ina (00:37):
And let me just say like a lot of you are like, oh, whoop
dee doo.
Who cares?
And some of you may care becausemaybe you own a water softener.
Some of you, maybe are thinkingabout getting a water softener.
So we want to talk about whatthey are, why you would even use
one, what the downside is, andsome, alternatives and so forth.
Glenn (00:58):
Things you need to know.
Ina (00:59):
Yep.
So typically homeowners.
would potentially want a watersoftener for their home.
And a water softener primarilyremoves hard minerals, mostly
calcium, but magnesium, could beother minerals.
It's removing it from the water,making it soft.
(01:22):
So the soft water, the reasonwhy, what's the point?
Because when people live instates or areas where the water
is hard.
That means the mineral contentis high past a certain point.
So it's considered hard waterand it will have a very negative
impact on your pipes and yourplumbing and on any appliances
(01:47):
where water travels through suchas washing machine, dishwasher,
coffee maker.
Glenn (01:51):
I was going to say there's people, there are people
who may watch this who didn'teven realize that's exactly what
it is.
If you see a scaly buildup onyour faucets, that's a sign of
you have hard water.
Ina (02:03):
Often sometimes, not always, but the spots on your
glasses or your shower couldalso be indicative of hard
water.
Some people notice that withhard water their hair and their
skin doesn't feel so good.
Water softeners use salt andexchange sodium for these
minerals so the water feels abit slimy.
(02:27):
And it will prevent thatbuildup, that calcium carbonate,
which is mostly what that scalebuildup is.
So when people decide topurchase a softener, it will be
healthy for the house.
Meaning that the plumbing, thepipes in the house, the
(02:48):
appliances where water travelsthrough, will live longer.
So it will sustain the life ofthose appliances and all of your
plumbing.
So that's the plus side.
Glenn (02:58):
But not good for your body necessarily.
Ina (03:02):
And also not good for the environment.
Glenn (03:03):
So again, just to remind you, softeners use either salt
or potassium and they're an ionexchange system that removes the
calcium and the magnesium andother hard minerals that are
naturally in the water thatdon't affect the taste, by the
way, or clarity.
Just so we're clear on that.
It doesn't affect that, butagain, does show up as
spottiness on glass things likeshower doors, possibly your
(03:27):
glasses and build up on yourappliances and definitely can
take years off your appliances,having hard water.
Ina (03:33):
Correct.
So there's, basically the reasonthat people would.
by those softeners.
Now, the downside is, as we justmentioned, first of all, it's
not healthy to add sodium toyour water, and it's not like a
softener will cause your waterto taste salty, Some people
(03:55):
taste it because they're thatsensitive, but for the most part
It's not necessarily somethingyou would pick up, but over time
Adding sodium to your water isnot healthy Particularly with
people that have a tendency forhigh blood pressure, over time
that sodium content not good forour health It's definitely not
(04:17):
good for the environment,
Glenn (04:19):
There are a lot of municipalities that are stopping
or now banning it, you know cutentire countries are actually
yeah
Ina (04:25):
And in our country since that's really what we gear our
conversations towards for themost part There are a couple
states that are starting to bansofteners So the one thing we
want you guys to understandbecause a lot of people that do
have softeners They also thinkthat Their water is not only
being softened, but alsofiltered.
(04:46):
And since we're talking about,the toxic truth about water, we
want you guys to understand thata softener in and of itself is
not a filter.
Glenn (04:57):
No, absolutely not.
It's a big deal.
And there are people, manypeople I've run into believe
that they're, that's what wasbeing done to their water.
When they said, yeah, I have asoftener system that cleans my
water and, it takes the heart.
And I go, no, it only takeshardness out of your water.
It doesn't remove, impurities,contaminants,
Ina (05:15):
unless some people do purchase a softener with
filtration.
So that's a whole differentstory.
But when people just have asoftener that is not a filter.
So that's the point we want tobring.
Glenn (05:26):
want to make sure that's clear
Ina (05:28):
now the other option.
So again, we understand likewhen you have hard water.
You want to protect your house,right?
Absolutely.
So a good alternative when we'rejust talking not filtration, but
just handling the hardness is aconditioner versus a softener.
(05:49):
So remember, so a softener willremove the hard minerals.
Making it soft while a waterconditioner actually alters the
structure of these minerals toprevent them from building up on
surfaces.
Glenn (06:03):
So let's clarify that because that's really important.
So what you really ideally wantto do is simply remove the
scaling.
You want to prevent scaling fromhappening, but ideally you want
every natural mineral that's inyour water to remain in the
water.
Healthy water contains, calciumand magnesium.
Ina (06:25):
And other minerals.
It's just what's naturallyfound.
It's what's in nature.
So we don't want to removethose.
But we want to remove theproblem that results from it.
So the cool thing aboutconditioners is it will prevent
the scale from forming withoutadding salt and ruining the
environment.
So conditioners tend to be abetter option, right?
(06:49):
They tend to be a better option.
However, again, like softeners,conditioners are not filters.
So in and of themselves,softeners and conditions are not
filters.
They are often sold together, so
Glenn (07:04):
With a basic carbon filter,
Ina (07:07):
so that, so we, that's really the whole point of today
is not a whole lot ofinformation, but we did feel
that it's important becausesince we've been living in
Florida has hard water in mostof Florida Utah, Arizona Florida
those are some of the otherstates.
There's, throughout the country,there are states that have much
harder water.
And in New Jersey, we neverreally had to think much about
(07:30):
it.
But down here in Florida, it's,definitely a concern.
So that's why we wanted to bringit to your attention.
Again, Glenn had said, so manypeople that have softeners, they
do believe that their water isYou know, the softener is
handling the contaminant and byitself, a softener will not do
that by itself.
A conditioner will not do that.
(07:51):
It will make the house healthy,your pipes healthy, your
appliances last longer, but it'snot going to do anything for
your health and your wellbeing.
So that was the point fortoday's episode.
Glenn (08:05):
Absolutely.
So remember again, if you needto have hard water, our
recommendation is think towardsconditioning, rather than
softening because the salt,there's a number of things, that
we've talked about that arenegative about it.
So we'll stick on the positiveside.
So think conditioning when itcomes to that.
And always remember, Okay.
Conditioners and softeners arenot filters.
(08:28):
So again, we want to thank youguys for tuning into this
episode of the toxic truth aboutwater.
We hope you're walking away withvaluable insights on how to
protect yourself and your lovedones from the hidden toxins that
we find in our water.
And if you found value intoday's episode, just be sure to
subscribe so you don't miss anyof our upcoming episodes.
And as always, feel free toshare this podcast with your
(08:49):
friends or family, anyone whocould benefit from the
information we've shared.
Ina (08:54):
So until next time, guys, remember, we are all in this
together.
So keep questioning, keeplearning, stay healthy, and stay
informed.
Much love to all you guys.
Bye for now.
Welcome to the Toxic Truth About Water.
We're Drs.
Glenn and Ina, and in thispodcast, we're uncovering the
hidden dangers lurking in yourwater and how those contaminants
impact your health.
Ina (00:12):
After decades of exploring natural health, we've learned
the importance of clean, safewater.
And we're here to share thatknowledge with each of you, from
the effects of toxins andcontaminants to the solutions
that you need.
We've got the inside scoop.
So as we say, let's dive in.
Let's get started.
And what are we talking abouttoday, my baby?
Glenn (00:34):
Today, water softeners and water conditioners.
Ina (00:37):
And let me just say like a lot of you are like, oh, whoop
dee doo.
Who cares?
And some of you may care becausemaybe you own a water softener.
Some of you, maybe are thinkingabout getting a water softener.
So we want to talk about whatthey are, why you would even use
one, what the downside is, andsome, alternatives and so forth.
Glenn (00:58):
Things you need to know.
Ina (00:59):
Yep.
So typically homeowners.
would potentially want a watersoftener for their home.
And a water softener primarilyremoves hard minerals, mostly
calcium, but magnesium, could beother minerals.
It's removing it from the water,making it soft.
(01:22):
So the soft water, the reasonwhy, what's the point?
Because when people live instates or areas where the water
is hard.
That means the mineral contentis high past a certain point.
So it's considered hard waterand it will have a very negative
impact on your pipes and yourplumbing and on any appliances
(01:47):
where water travels through suchas washing machine, dishwasher,
coffee maker.
Glenn (01:51):
I was going to say there's people, there are people
who may watch this who didn'teven realize that's exactly what
it is.
If you see a scaly buildup onyour faucets, that's a sign of
you have hard water.
Ina (02:03):
Often sometimes, not always, but the spots on your
glasses or your shower couldalso be indicative of hard
water.
Some people notice that withhard water their hair and their
skin doesn't feel so good.
Water softeners use salt andexchange sodium for these
minerals so the water feels abit slimy.
(02:27):
And it will prevent thatbuildup, that calcium carbonate,
which is mostly what that scalebuildup is.
So when people decide topurchase a softener, it will be
healthy for the house.
Meaning that the plumbing, thepipes in the house, the
(02:48):
appliances where water travelsthrough, will live longer.
So it will sustain the life ofthose appliances and all of your
plumbing.
So that's the plus side.
Glenn (02:58):
But not good for your body necessarily.
Ina (03:02):
And also not good for the environment.
Glenn (03:03):
So again, just to remind you, softeners use either salt
or potassium and they're an ionexchange system that removes the
calcium and the magnesium andother hard minerals that are
naturally in the water thatdon't affect the taste, by the
way, or clarity.
Just so we're clear on that.
It doesn't affect that, butagain, does show up as
spottiness on glass things likeshower doors, possibly your
(03:27):
glasses and build up on yourappliances and definitely can
take years off your appliances,having hard water.
Ina (03:33):
Correct.
So there's, basically the reasonthat people would.
by those softeners.
Now, the downside is, as we justmentioned, first of all, it's
not healthy to add sodium toyour water, and it's not like a
softener will cause your waterto taste salty, Some people
(03:55):
taste it because they're thatsensitive, but for the most part
It's not necessarily somethingyou would pick up, but over time
Adding sodium to your water isnot healthy Particularly with
people that have a tendency forhigh blood pressure, over time
that sodium content not good forour health It's definitely not
(04:17):
good for the environment,
Glenn (04:19):
There are a lot of municipalities that are stopping
or now banning it, you know cutentire countries are actually
yeah
Ina (04:25):
And in our country since that's really what we gear our
conversations towards for themost part There are a couple
states that are starting to bansofteners So the one thing we
want you guys to understandbecause a lot of people that do
have softeners They also thinkthat Their water is not only
being softened, but alsofiltered.
(04:46):
And since we're talking about,the toxic truth about water, we
want you guys to understand thata softener in and of itself is
not a filter.
Glenn (04:57):
No, absolutely not.
It's a big deal.
And there are people, manypeople I've run into believe
that they're, that's what wasbeing done to their water.
When they said, yeah, I have asoftener system that cleans my
water and, it takes the heart.
And I go, no, it only takeshardness out of your water.
It doesn't remove, impurities,contaminants,
Ina (05:15):
unless some people do purchase a softener with
filtration.
So that's a whole differentstory.
But when people just have asoftener that is not a filter.
So that's the point we want tobring.
Glenn (05:26):
want to make sure that's clear
Ina (05:28):
now the other option.
So again, we understand likewhen you have hard water.
You want to protect your house,right?
Absolutely.
So a good alternative when we'rejust talking not filtration, but
just handling the hardness is aconditioner versus a softener.
(05:49):
So remember, so a softener willremove the hard minerals.
Making it soft while a waterconditioner actually alters the
structure of these minerals toprevent them from building up on
surfaces.
Glenn (06:03):
So let's clarify that because that's really important.
So what you really ideally wantto do is simply remove the
scaling.
You want to prevent scaling fromhappening, but ideally you want
every natural mineral that's inyour water to remain in the
water.
Healthy water contains, calciumand magnesium.
Ina (06:25):
And other minerals.
It's just what's naturallyfound.
It's what's in nature.
So we don't want to removethose.
But we want to remove theproblem that results from it.
So the cool thing aboutconditioners is it will prevent
the scale from forming withoutadding salt and ruining the
environment.
So conditioners tend to be abetter option, right?
(06:49):
They tend to be a better option.
However, again, like softeners,conditioners are not filters.
So in and of themselves,softeners and conditions are not
filters.
They are often sold together, so
Glenn (07:04):
With a basic carbon filter,
Ina (07:07):
so that, so we, that's really the whole point of today
is not a whole lot ofinformation, but we did feel
that it's important becausesince we've been living in
Florida has hard water in mostof Florida Utah, Arizona Florida
those are some of the otherstates.
There's, throughout the country,there are states that have much
harder water.
And in New Jersey, we neverreally had to think much about
(07:30):
it.
But down here in Florida, it's,definitely a concern.
So that's why we wanted to bringit to your attention.
Again, Glenn had said, so manypeople that have softeners, they
do believe that their water isYou know, the softener is
handling the contaminant and byitself, a softener will not do
that by itself.
A conditioner will not do that.
(07:51):
It will make the house healthy,your pipes healthy, your
appliances last longer, but it'snot going to do anything for
your health and your wellbeing.
So that was the point fortoday's episode.
Glenn (08:05):
Absolutely.
So remember again, if you needto have hard water, our
recommendation is think towardsconditioning, rather than
softening because the salt,there's a number of things, that
we've talked about that arenegative about it.
So we'll stick on the positiveside.
So think conditioning when itcomes to that.
And always remember, Okay.
Conditioners and softeners arenot filters.
(08:28):
So again, we want to thank youguys for tuning into this
episode of the toxic truth aboutwater.
We hope you're walking away withvaluable insights on how to
protect yourself and your lovedones from the hidden toxins that
we find in our water.
And if you found value intoday's episode, just be sure to
subscribe so you don't miss anyof our upcoming episodes.
And as always, feel free toshare this podcast with your
(08:49):
friends or family, anyone whocould benefit from the
information we've shared.
Ina (08:54):
So until next time, guys, remember, we are all in this
together.
So keep questioning, keeplearning, stay healthy, and stay
informed.
Much love to all you guys.
Bye for now.
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